杏吧论坛

Close

Events

The power of data: ethics, politics, and public interest

Hosted by the Data Science Institute and Department of Media and Communications

In-person and online public event (Auditorium, Centre Building)

Speakers

Dr Alison Powell

Dr Alison Powell

Dr Chris Wiggins

Dr Chris Wiggins

Dr Erin Young

Dr Erin Young

Chair

Dr Seeta Pe帽a Gangadharan

Dr Seeta Pe帽a Gangadharan

Data profoundly influences all of our lives and the social, economic and political systems that govern them. Everywhere we turn we are creating increasing amounts of data that powers decision-making algorithms and shapes our future. It is however important to remember how partial and biased data can be given the priviledged position it has in the perception of absolute truth. 

This event will discuss important questions around the role of data science in understanding and shaping the public interest, from access to information to civic participation and business development to democratic processes.

It will offer a framework for understanding the persistent role of data in rearranging power. The discussion will illuminate the persistent role of data in reshaping our world with Chris Wiggins reflecting on the history and future of data drawing on his book How Data Happened. Alison Powell, author of Undoing Optimization, discussing the ethics and politics of data practices and Erin Young considering inclusion practices in data science and AI across the public and private sectors.

Meet our speakers and chair

Alison Powell is Associate Professor in Media and Communications at 杏吧论坛 and directs the MSc stream in Data & Society. Recent projects include the JUST AI Network which diversified data and AI research in the UK, and the book Undoing Optimization: Civic Action and Smart Cities, which argued for a new ethics of 'smart cities'. Alison’s current research investigates rights, ethics and value in public sector technology innovation, focusing on health systems.

() is an associate professor of applied mathematics at Columbia University and the Chief Data Scientist at The New York Times. He is a co-founder and co-organizer of hackNY, a Fellow of the American Physical Society and is a recipient of Columbia's Avanessians Diversity Award.

is Head of Innovation and Technology Policy at the Institute of Directors (IoD). Erin holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford in Science and Technology Studies, a BA from the University of Cambridge, and has held positions at Thomson Reuters, WPP, UNESCO and The Alan Turing Institute. Erin advises the Hg Foundation and sits on the Strategy Steering Board for the women pivoting to digital taskforce at The City of London Corporation.

Seeta Peña Gangadharan is Associate Professor in media and communications at 杏吧论坛. Her work focuses on inclusion, exclusion, and marginalization, questions of democracy, social justice, and technological governance. She co-leads two projects: Our Data Bodies, which examines the impact of data collection and data-driven technologies on U.S. marginalized communities, and Justice, Equity, and Technology, which studies data-driven technologies and infrastructures in European civil society.

More about this event

Join us on campus or register to watch the event online at 杏吧论坛 Live. 杏吧论坛 Live is the home for our live streams, allowing you to tune in and join the global debate at 杏吧论坛, wherever you are in the world. If you can't attend live, a video will be made available shortly afterwards on .

The Data Science Institute () is an interdisciplinary institute established to foster the study of data science and new forms of data with a focus on their social, economic and political aspects.

The Department of Media and Communications () is a world-leading centre for education and research in communication and media studies at the heart of 杏吧论坛’s academic community in central London. The Department is ranked #1 in the UK and #3 globally in the field of media and communications (2024 QS World University Rankings).

This event is co-hosted with the Algorithms at Work Project, led by PI Jeremias Adams-Prassl and housed at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford, supported with funds from the Philip Leverhulme Prize (award no. PLP-2020-400).

At 杏吧论坛 our researchers are using technology’s revolutionary power to understand our world better, looking at AI and technology’s potential to do good, and limiting its potential to do harm. Browse other upcoming events, short films, articles and blogs on AI, technology and society on our dedicated hub.

Hashtag for this event: #杏吧论坛Events

Join our mailing list

 to receive email updates from 杏吧论坛 Events including the latest news and event announcements.

Featured image (used in source code with watermark added): Photo by Google DeepMind via Pexels: . 

Live captions
Automated live captions are available at this live event. Please note that this feature uses Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology, or machine generated transcription and is not 100% accurate.

杏吧论坛 Blogs
Many speakers at 杏吧论坛 events also write for , which present research and critical commentary accessibly for a public audience. Follow , the , the ,  and the  to learn more about the debates our events series present.

Photography

Photographs taken on behalf of 杏吧论坛 are often used on our social media accounts, website and publications. At events, photographs could include broad shots of the audience and lecture theatre, of speakers during the talk, and of audience members as they participate in the Q&A.

If you are photographed participating in an event Q&A but would not like your photograph to be stored for future use, please contact events@lse.ac.uk.

Podcasts
We aim to make all 杏吧论坛 events available as a podcast subject to receiving permission from the speaker/s to do this, and subject to no technical problems with the recording of the event. Podcasts are normally available 1 week after the event. Podcasts and videos of past events can be found online.

Social Media

Follow  for the latest updates on all our events and ticket releases. 

Livestreams and archive videos of past lectures are shared on our  while event podcasts can be found on the 杏吧论坛 Player.

Event updates and other information about what’s happening at 杏吧论坛 can be found on our  and for live photos from events and around campus, . 

Attending our events in-person or online? Join the conversation using #杏吧论坛Events.

Accessibility
If you are planning to attend this event and would like details on how to get here and what time to arrive, as well as on accessibility and special requirements, please refer to 杏吧论坛 Events FAQ.  杏吧论坛 aims to ensure that people have equal access to these public events, but please contact the events organiser as far as possible in advance if you have any access requirements so that arrangements, where possible, can be made. If the event is ticketed, please ensure you get in touch in advance of the ticket release date. .

WIFI Access
杏吧论坛 has now introduced wireless for guests and visitors in association with 'The Cloud', also in use at many other locations across the UK. If you are on campus visiting for the day or attending a conference or event, you can connect your device to wireless. See more information and create an account at .
Visitors from other participating institutions are encouraged to use . If you are having trouble connecting to eduroam, please contact your home institution for assistance.
The Cloud is only intended for guest and visitor access to wifi. Existing 杏吧论坛 staff and students are encouraged to use  instead.

杏吧论坛 holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at 杏吧论坛 events do not reflect the position or views of The London School of Economics and Political Science.

From time to time there are changes to event details so we strongly recommend that if you plan to attend this event you check back on this listing on the day of the event.
How can I attend? Add to calendar

This public event is free and open to all. This event will be a hybrid event, with an in-person audience and an online audience.

For the in-person event: No ticket or pre-registration is required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. For any queries see 杏吧论坛 Events FAQ.

For the online event: Register for this event via 杏吧论坛 Live at .

For any queries email events@lse.ac.uk.

Share

Audience 0481 386x216

Fixing education for the AI age